ARCATA &GT;&GT; Last year, Paul Karver only had 10 days to get acclimated to the Humboldt State women's soccer team before its first game.

The result: A 3-12-3 overall record.

But from day one, he's known the goal.

"We're trying to grow the program in a positive light," Karver said. "We want this to be a program that people, not just locally, but people around the country say 'hey you know what, those girls work hard in the classroom, those girls work hard in the community and they perform on the field.

"At the same time, we want to continue to produce strong, powerful young women into the community. And in order to do that, you have to recruit young women that aren't just soccer savvy, but that are smart in the classroom and have the potential to be strong, powerful women in the community throughout their lives. That's really the direction we're going."

Karver, who is entering his second year at the helm for the Jacks, began his coaching career at his alma mater — the University of Redlands, where he was a goalkeeper from 2002-04.

Along the way, the Portland native has had coaching stints at a number of soccer clubs, including MidState Soccer Club and Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club, and as an assistant at UNLV and University of Oregon.

"As a player, I was always very passionate. As a coach, I'm very passionate," Karver said. "But that comes from being blessed to have played for and worked for some really cool people, some really cool role models in my life. They taught me early on that it's so much more about the development of these young people, and the wins and losses will happen.

"The long-standing reality is 'what do we do for these young people?' And if we're doing enough for them, the wins will come."

One of those role models who helped him develop into the coach he has become is Rob Becerra.

Becerra, who was Karver's coach at Redlands, has previously coached at Stanford, been a coach assistant for the LA Galaxy II, and currently works with the U.S. National Men's Team as a technical advisor.

"He actually helped me get my first high school job, and really believed that I had something to give to that avenue of life," Karver said of his relationship with Becerra. "He is somebody that means a lot to me in my coaching development. He's just one of the most positive and inspirational people that you could ever hope to play for or coach with."

But prior to Becerra, Karver credited his father, who was not only his first coach, but his biggest role model.

"He was someone who did a lot with his life," Karver said. "He spent a lot of time in the community, working with people, believing in people and helping people develop their lives. That's something that's really stuck with me."

His father's example has not only stuck with him, but he's utilized it in his coaching.

Last Sunday, the Lady Jacks attended a public training session in Crescent City where 120 onlookers watched them train. In the same day, the team hosted a two-hour youth clinic.

"The classroom is a huge part of it, but we really believe that within our program, the education goes outside of the classroom and it's about community involvement," Karver said. "To listen to the girls talk about how appreciative they are about their lives and the things that they have when they realize there are communities out there that aren't as fortunate. That type of life lesson is something we want to continue to instill in our young women in the program."

Although the classroom and community is important to him, make no mistake — Karver wants to succeed on the pitch.

Karver has used the last 365 days to learn the ins and outs of his team. He's learned their strengths and their weaknesses.

And with more than 10 days, he's possibly learned the most important aspect of the his team: their potential.

"The big picture was to create an environment where we're competing for a conference championship and competing on the national level," Karver said. "Thinking about things like a national championship isn't something that is a whisper in the hallway, but is something that we believe in, and something that we work towards. It is at the forefront of our minds in every single thing that we do on and off the field."